A Beginner’s Guide to Call-to-Action Button Optimisation

A clear, well-designed call-to-action (CTA) button is a crucial piece of the conversion rate optimisation puzzle. It is the stepping stone that takes users towards your end conversion goal. Without an effective CTA button, visitors to your site will get lost (and leave) quickly.

Unfortunately, not enough small businesses know how to harness the power of an effective CTA. The result? A high bounce rate and low conversion rate – not an ideal combination for any business. If your conversion rate has fallen flat, check out these clever tips to ensure your CTA is working hard to drive conversions on your site.

1. Experiment with colours

Ideally, your CTA button should stand out from the rest of the content on your website. You don’t have to choose a bright, neon colour to make sure it gets noticed though. Instead, take a look at your site’s colour scheme and think about which colours would stand out against it without looking too brash or bold. For example, if your website’s colour scheme is black, white and light grey, a neon yellow CTA button would definitely clash and be hugely unappealing to browsers. A green or red button, however, would work well.

Which colours work best?

Does colour really matter? The short answer to this questions is yes. Countless studies have shown that colours can dramatically affect conversions. In addition to being attention grabbing, CTA buttons also help guide browsers towards your desired conversion goal. The best colours for CTA buttons stand out without clashing with the design theme. There is no one ‘best’ colour for CTA buttons because the ‘best’ colour depends on the existing colour scheme of a website.

2. Stand out

The internet is overflowing with CTA buttons. No matter where we go online, it seems as though we are routinely bombarded with the command to enter our email addresses and unlock hidden content or exclusive access. Unfortunately, the problem marketers are now discovering is that people are becoming increasingly immune to the standard CTA buttons and it’s becoming harder and harder to get people to click them.

Why won’t you click me?

People who are regularly exposed to the same generic style of TV and magazine ads have a tendency to be able to ‘switch off’ and ignore the ads in front of them. Online shoppers are no different; unless a CTA stands out and demands attention, it’s at risk of getting lost and overlooked by browsers. If you want to guarantee clicks on your CTA buttons, you’ll need to get creative and experiment. Experiment with different phrases, colours and even the shape of your button until you’re left with a highly clickable look that people can’t resist.

3. Stay above the fold

When it comes to CTAs, positioning matters. When scanning a web page online, most people begin by reading across the site in a horizontal movement. This makes placing your CTA button just above the fold (the area at the top of the webpage that’s visible without scrolling down) one of the simplest (and best) design decisions you can make.

Why stay above the fold?

Hundreds of studies have been carried out to assess the ‘viewability’ of content and advertisements displayed above and below the fold online. Time after time, it has been shown that users only scroll when there’s a reason to. Scrolling is an extra task to be completed, one that people are reluctant to take if their attention isn’t immediately grabbed by whatever is above the fold. By placing your CTA button above the fold, you’re not at the mercy of the ‘fold scroll’.

4. Bigger isn’t always better

It’s important to think about the size of CTA buttons. Too large, and you risk making consumers feel pressured to click and convert. Too small, and you run the risk of shoppers failing to realise that the button is a clickable element of the page. Think big, but not HUGE. It’s a good idea to experiment with the size of until you’re confident you’ve got it just right.

Let Fluid Digital Supercharge your conversions

At Fluid Digital, our team of specialist developers and designers know exactly what it takes to create engaging, effective ecommerce websites that drive conversions. To find out how we can help you take your business further with one of our award-winning Magento E-commerce websites, get in touch with our team today. Call 0161 762 4920 or complete an online enquiry form. We’re ready and waiting to help you.